When we think of CNC routers and their capabilities we often go right to the feats of complexity and precision. Impossible inlays, hundreds of exact copies of parts, complex shaping and carving, and perfect joints but not everything you use your bot for needs to be so complicated. Flattening table tops is by far my favorite …
Category Archives: General
A Guide to CNC Bits
CNC routers need bits. They determine the kind of carving you can do, the resolution of your finished designs, and how fast you can move through the material. They come with cutting edges that pull up or push down (sometimes both), they have square or shaped ends, they are made for speed or accuracy, and …
Tiki Head – stacked model case study
I was recently asked to build a tiki head statue for a local restaurant. The lure of rum soaked drinks made the job hard to turn down. I figured my recently acquired CNC router made the task possible for me since I have no formal sculpture training. As with most everything, it seemed simple before …
Wooden Sink
Marble, stainless, porcelain, and even pottery, we’ve all seen sinks made with basic materials but few of us have seen wooden sinks. Mike from America’s Woodshop in Bloomington created a turned wooden sink for the DIY Network’s “I Hate My Bath” and it got us thinking about our planned bathroom remodel. We knew we wanted …
Bathroom Cabinets
Some recycled and gifted walnut is reluctantly cooperating with me as I attempt to conjure up some chunky medicine cabinets. Some of it was in the cutoff bin at a local workshop. The wild grain and knots may have been better suited for an art piece than straight lines and right angles. The rest was …
Self Assembling objects
Objects that build themselves. What if they could also redesign themselves?Part awesome, part even more awesome. Via solidsmack
An intro to 5-axis CNC machining – part 1
I had the opportunity to tag along on a road trip with some members of the ShopBot team. They were headed to a shop in Wisconsin to help a customer with two ShopBot machines, a monster 16×5 3-axis machine and a brand new 5-axis machine. I have to admit I was there for the 5-axis. …
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Woodcut and linocut stamps
The list of potential uses for cnc machinery in the home and small business shop is limited only by creativity. Furniture and carved signs are obvious choices. How about custom stamps? Why not? My friend Ben has designed a few business cards for me. We got the idea that it might be fun to make …
Wicked Awesome Movies from Tom Sachs
Always be knolling! Tom Sachs has worked with Frank Gehry in his LA furniture shop. In 1990 he found studio space in the evaporating machinery district in downtown New York and named it Allied Cultural Prosthetics. Among many other things, he has a knack for creating entertaining and dry videos that he uses as instruction …
Algebra Touch for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch
So cool and so needed for those of us diving back into STEaM work after years away from formal math. Definitely worth $1.99. Algebra Touch for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch – YouTube.